The present invention relates to a device for dropping off and picking up loads with a helicopter.
Devices of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. The known devices have however some disadvantages. They do not make possible a determination whether double bag drops occurred, or the deployed bag has become tangled with a rack. Also, they require the use of a ground personnel to hook up the lines for pickup, which is difficult in remote terrain and expensive for the operator.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for helicopter dropping off and picking up of loads, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a device for helicopter dropping off and picking up of loads which has a member connected to a load; a magnetic element adapted to attract a member attached to the load; means forming a channel associated with the magnetic member so that the member connected to the load and attracted to the magnet slides through the channel to a predetermined portion of the channel; means forming a gate in the portion and including a first gate forming element and a second gate forming element spaced from one another and alternatingly activatable by a pilot so that by activating the first gate forming element the member connected to the load is introduced into the gate, wherein when the second gate forming element is activated the gate is opened and the member connected to the load leaves the channel so as to drop off the load.
When the device is designed in accordance with the present invention, no ground personnel is required. The pilot can determine whether the bag is at the gate, whether the lanyard was tangled within the rack, etc. The device eliminates double back drops, eliminates flying in foot runners to hook up bags with pulled pins, bags on side hills, bags with bad cone setups or bags that the pilot could not otherwise retrieve for whatever reasons. The pilot does not have to be precise or be afraid of knocking over the target and not being able to retrieve the bag. The device is ideal for all terrain, in the prairies or mountains with hand cut lines.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.